Marriage of Miles
by Sir Weston
Summary: While working on a case, Phoenix learns that Edgeworth is getting married, despite the latter's hatred of marriage! Wright thinks there's definitely something strange going on here, and with Franziska's help he's going to get to the bottom of it! And no, this has nothing to do with his own feelings for Edgeworth, no matter what Apollo and Athena and everyone else says! Really!
1. The Engagement Announcement

**Marriage of Miles**

**Hey y'all! This is my first time writing for the Ace Attorney series! I recently downloaded the original trilogy and I am totally obsessed! I love the characters, the dialogue, the cases, everything! My favorite character and my new video game crush is Miles Edgeworth. I totally ship him and Phoenix, which is where this story comes in. I had to do it. This is the story of Edgeworth's engagement and Wright's complete denial of his obvious feelings. Enjoy!**

**Oh, by the way, if I get any facts wrong about the characters of the later games, like Apollo or Trucy or Athena, I apologize. I've only played the first three games and I'm going off of what I'm reading on the wiki. Also, I'm not exactly sure when this takes place. In its own little corner of the fandom universe, I guess.**

**Chapter 1 – The Engagement Announcement**

-Wright Anything Agency, April 14, 12:14 pm-

"Thank you so much! Mr. Wright! I will forever be grateful!" Mr. Avery exclaimed, enthusiastically shaking my hand, "Thank you so much for helping my son!" I tried not to cringe as my arm was pumped up and down.

"Of course, Mr. Avery," I replied, "We'll do whatever we can to help your son. Now, do you have any information that might be useful?"

"Um, er, I can't think of anything right now, sir," Mr. Avery muttered, "Well, um, there may be something. Er, Robin worked at a manufacturing factory. That's where his manager, Morty Fied was killed. I think maybe you could find something there."

"Thank you, Mr. Avery. Do you- "

"Please, call me Jay," the man insisted. I tried not to sigh.

"Jay, do you know the name of the company where your son worked?" I asked.

"Of course!" Mr. Avery exclaimed, "It's called Fletcher Industries."

"Fletcher?" Apollo suddenly spoke up from the other room, "I've heard that name before! Isn't he that super rich dude that makes practically everything?"

"That's him all right!" Mr. Avery replied, "Mr. Dominic Fletcher, the CEO of Fletcher Industries. He is a very influential man. My son was lucky to get the job."

I pursed my lips to stop myself from speaking. I had heard of Mr. Fletcher before. And I had also heard of what a ruthless businessman he was. He used scare tactics to get what he wanted, or at least that's what the rumors said. I never actually met the man. He sounded way too scary for me, but unfortunately it looked like fate didn't give a crap about what I wanted and I was probably going to have to question him.

Maybe I could get Apollo or Athena to do that instead while I looked for clues…

"Hey, you two are coming with me, right?" I called out to my two young associates, "Help me gather clues and info?"

Apollo poked his head in from the other room. "I don't know, Mr. Wright, I'm kind of busy right now," he said in a fake "sorry" voice. I frowned at him.

"You're not busy," I countered, "This is our first case in weeks. You've been playing Minesweeper on your computer." Justice bit his lower lip.

"Fine, you caught me," he moaned, "All right, we'll go with you." He turned back to the room. "Come on, Athena!"

Much more prompt and perky than Apollo, Athena popped into the room with a smile. "Sure!" she said, "Where are we going?"

"Fletcher Industries," I replied. Her smile immediately vanished and she started slowly backing out of the room.

"Oh… no," she muttered, "I don't want to go. I've heard about that Fletcher guy. He's bad news. I'm just going to stay here and keep this old guy company." Her retreat was halted when she bumped into Apollo. He gave her an annoyed stare.

"You're going," he stated, ending the argument right there.

-Fletcher Industries, April 14, 12:32 pm-

I looked up at Fletcher Industries with disdain and trepidation. It was such a huge building just on the edge of the Los Angeles city limits. The building was a dark grey and sort of reminded me of that devil demon thing from the movie _Fantasia._ If Mr. Fletcher wanted to make an impression, he certainly accomplished that goal. Definitely left one on me.

"Well," I said to Apollo and Athena, "Shall we go in?"

With reluctance, we headed inside where workers were busy checking on machines and staring at clipboards and yelling at things. There were also a bunch of police trying to secure the crime scene, but the workers didn't really seem to care.

"Come on, there's Gumshoe over there," I pointed out, "Maybe he can help us out a little." Though I doubted it. He usually tried to block me. But I could often get some info out of him, even if he didn't mean to tell me.

Apollo and Athena kept close to me as I lead the way over to where the police were blocking off the area around a large machine that to me looked like a bunch of gears that didn't really seem to serve any real purpose. There was blood splattered all over so I guessed it was where the victim died. Detective Gumshoe was overseeing the operation.

"Hey detective!" I greeted pleasantly, "Long time no see!"

Gumshoe started slightly and spun around to see us approaching which made him relax slightly. "Oh, hey pal," he said, "It has been a while, huh? What are you doing here?"

"We're here for a client," Athena told him helpfully, "He worked here. He's the one who's been accused of murdering the victim. Robin Avery."

"Oh yeah, him," Gumshoe chuckled, "Look, if I were you guys I'd give up right now. We've got some pretty hard evidence against the guy, there's no way he couldn't have done it. Decisive evidence, witnesses, motive, opportunity. It's a pretty clear-cut case."

I folded my arms. "I think that's for the court to decide, detective," I argued, "Besides, you say that about pretty much all of my clients and you've always been wrong."

Gumshoe frowned. "Yeah, well, I think I'm right about this one pal," he hissed.

"So, um, if I may ask, how was the victim killed?" Apollo asked before Gumshoe and I could get into a fight.

"Oh, this is one of the most brutal kills I've ever seen," Gumshoe replied, perking slightly, "The victim, Morty Fied, was pushed into this here machine and mangled to death."

"That sounds horrible!" Athena gasped.

"It is! Wanna see a picture of the body?" Before any of us could answer, Gumshoe shoved a large, full color photo of the victim's body in our faces. All three of us screamed out loud.

"Holy cow!" Apollo shouted, "Look at all that blood! And those guts!"

"Is that even a human?!" I wondered in shock.

"How could you even identify him?" Athena asked, trying not to retch, "He doesn't even have a face anymore! Or hands! Or a body!"

"There's a security camera that we used to identify him," Gumshoe explained, finally putting away the offensive picture, "It shows him clearly standing by the machine arguing with someone moments before being shoved into it."

I felt something start to twist in my gut, but I had to ask. "And was that person Robin?" I questioned.

Gumshoe scratched the back of his head and coughed. "Well, admittedly, the person who pushed him was wearing a coat with the hood up and had his back turned to the camera the whole time," he muttered, "B-But we've got plenty of other evidence to determine that was Mr. Avery, pal!"

Humph. I'd be the judge of that. After getting an autopsy report, we decided to look around the building a bit to give the police time to clear out. Also, we wanted to talk to some of the employees.

"Maybe we should talk to the guy who got promoted over Robin," Athena suggested, "He would probably be able to tell us something about our client and the victim."

"Good idea, Athena," Apollo praised.

"I was going to suggest that too," I muttered under my breath.

After asking around we found out the man who got promoted was named Buddy Guy. He was a tall lanky youth with blond hair and grey eyes. He was wearing the standard factory uniform with a hardhat and overalls and also a pin with his name the word "supervisor" under it. He was smiling _way _too much considering a murder had just happened the day prior.

"Hiya! The name's Buddy Guy!" he greeted, shaking our hands in a way that gave Jay Avery's arm pumping a run for its money, "How can I help you fine folks?"

"Er, you're the one who was just promoted, right?" I asked, carefully rolling my arm to make sure it was still attached to my shoulder.

"Yessiree!" he exclaimed, "I sure am! But gee, I wonder now that Morty is dead if I'll be promoted again? That would be swell, wouldn't it? Not that I'm saying it's a good thing Morty is dead. He was a great manager."

"Did he really just say 'swell?'" I heard Apollo whisper to Athena behind me.

I tried to ignore them. "We wanted to ask you about your co-worker, Robin Avery," I said. Buddy made a faux tsk-tsk sound.

"It's too bad about him," he said in sympathy, but sounding way too cheerful to actually sound sad, "He's really nice but he's a little shy and has a wicked temper. I wouldn't get on his bad side, if I were you. He probably didn't mean to push Mr. Fied into the machine. He probably just lost his temper."

"So, you're convinced Robin did this?" I asked.

"Oh definitely!" Buddy replied in that ecstatic way of his, "It couldn't be anyone but him!" Apollo stepped up next to me.

"Why is that?" he wondered.

Buddy opened his mouth like he was about to answer us but then he suddenly closed it. He gave the three of us suspicious looks. "Say, who did you say you were again?" he asked, pointing an accusing finger at us.

Uh-oh. He figured us out. "We're um, Robin's lawyers," I responded.

A grin broke out on Buddy's face. "Nuh-uh! I'm not saying anything else!" he taunted, "If you want to hear what I have to say it'll be in court! They're calling me as a witness!"

"Really? You saw what happened?" Athena asked in surprise. I noticed a strange look flashed before his eyes before it was gone.

"Uh, yup! I totally did! Gonna talk all about it at the trial," Buddy explained, "Gee I hate to be testifying against Robin, but it's my civic duty to tell what I saw!" He shifted his feet nervously. "Um, if you excuse me, I have to get back to work. See you at the trial!"

The three of us stared after him as he walked away. I waited until he was out of earshot before speaking.

"Did that seem strange to either of you?" I asked.

"Yeah, he seemed rather dodgy," Apollo noted, "Did you notice the look on his face when Athena asked him if he saw what happened? I don't trust him."

"Maybe we should get out of here and talk to our client," Athena suggested.

We walked back by Gumshoe to ask him if he had anymore clues for us ("No!" he barked us, "Get out!") before we headed over to the police station where they were holding Robin.

-Detention Center, April 14, 12:55pm-

Robin Avery was a young man with black hair of a medium length. He was quite pale and had green eyes and was looking rather despondent. But that was understandable. He was in detention after all. He was wearing a black hoodie and a red shirt.

He looked at us with nervous eyes as we sat down across from him. "What do you guys want?" he mumbled.

"My name is Phoenix Wright, defense attorney," I introduced myself, "These are my young associates, Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes. Your father asked us to represent you."

Robin seemed to perk up at this. "Really?" he asked, "Glad my old man is still looking out for me. He can't work anymore since he was crippled. So, I do all the working for both of us."

"If you answer a few questions for us it would really help the case," I pointed out.

"Sure."

"What was your relationship to the victim?" I asked, "What was he like?"

"Morty Fied? He was all right, I guess. A bit uptight. He always got mad about every little thing," Robin explained. He let out a sigh. "I don't think he liked me very much. Probably why he picked Buddy over me to get the promotion even though I needed it more and Buddy is really annoying."

"This is just a standard question," I pointed out, "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"What?! No!" Robin exclaimed, "I didn't even see Morty at all that day! After I found out I didn't get promoted I had to take a bit of time off to cool down. I swear I didn't do it!"

"All right, calm down!" Athena said, holding up her hands, "We always ask this of all our clients. Just an obligation thing."

Slouching down in his seat, Robin frowned. "Sorry," he muttered, "You'll probably hear that I have a bit of an anger issue. I've been trying to work on it, but I can't really afford to see a therapist or anything to help me. And my job doesn't offer any benefits. The pay is kind of crud, honestly, which is why I was really hoping for this promotion. It would've greatly helped my dad and I."

"If the pay is so bad, why don't you just get a different job somewhere else?" Apollo wondered. Robin bit his lower lip.

"It's not easy to get a job in this town," he explained, "And my shyness and temper usually are a turn off to interviewers. I was, er, kicked out of high school which does not look good on a resume. Fletcher Industries is the only place that's really willing to overlook all my faults. I was trying to be a hard worker so I could get that promotion. But what's the point? Now I'm going to jail and my dad is probably going to starve."

"Not if I can help it!" I declared, "Don't worry, Robin! We're taking your case! And we won't let your father starve. We'll get to the bottom of this! I haven't lost a case yet!"

Beside me, Apollo gave me a bewildered look. "Really?" he asked, "What about that one time when you- "

"Shush. Anyway, we're already working on it. When is the trial?" I wondered.

Robin counted on his fingers, trying to remember. "In two days," he replied. I blinked at him in surprise.

"R-Really? Usually when the trial is the day after arrest," I noted. Robin shrugged.

"Well, I heard that apparently the prosecutor has something big he has to take care of and get sorted out so they pushed it back a day," he said, "But that could be a good thing, right? It gives you more time to look for evidence to prove I'm not guilty?"

"That's true," Athena piped in, "We didn't really get the chance to look at the crime scene at all, what with the police guarding it. Maybe we'll get a better chance tomorrow."

"Good call, Athena," I agreed. I turned back to Robin. "You didn't happen to overhear who the prosecutor on this case was, did you?" Sadly, he shook his head.

"Sorry, no," he replied.

"Eh, that's all right," I told him, "We'll find out soon enough." We stood up to leave, but then I thought of something. "Oh! Before we go Robin, I have one last question."

"What's that?"

"What is your boss, Dominic Fletcher like?"

At the sound of his name, Robin's eyes widened. "He's a terror, man! He's like the reincarnation of the devil himself!" he breathed, his eyes wild, "Stay away from him! Whatever you do! Don't get mixed up with him!"

-Police Precinct, Lobby, April 14, 1:10 pm-

"So I'm guessing all the rumors about Mr. Fletcher are true," I mused as Apollo, Athena, and I left the detention center, "Hopefully we can avoid him while working on this case."

"It's not like he had anything to do with the murder," Athena pointed out, "Besides getting permission to go somewhere in the building or something I can't see any reason why would ever need to interact with him."

"I really hope you're right about that," Apollo muttered, "I don't want to meet anyone described as 'the devil incarnate.'"

We were about to leave the building when I suddenly heard someone call my name. I turned around and saw Miles Edgeworth striding towards us. He was looking as dapper as ever in his typical dress. For some reason, it seemed to be getting hotter in here. Ah yes, and my heart seemed to be beating faster. I wondered why?

"Ah Wright, I was hoping to catch you here," Edgeworth greeted (or didn't greet?) "Gumshoe told me I could probably find you here."

I smiled warmly at my old friend. "What can I do for you, Edgeworth?" I asked.

He didn't speak until he was right in front of me. "I wanted to tell you this in person instead of you finding out by the papers," he said, "I thought it only fair since we are… friends."

I got a strange feeling in my gut as he spoke. "What is it, Edgeworth?"

He sighed deeply. "Wright," he paused dramatically, "I am getting engaged."

**Oh shit! Cliff hanger! What the hell, Miles? Dropping that bomb right at the end of the chapter? Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the start of this despite the lack of Edgeworth. Don't worry, he'll appear more in the next chapters.**

**I probably won't be updating this story as fast as my other stories, since this one requires a lot more thought, but I promise I'll update as soon as I can. Please leave a comment in the mean time!**


	2. Phoenix isn't Jealous

**I just want to put a note at the beginning of this that Apollo, Athena, and Trucy are the only characters from the later games that are going to appear in this, again because I haven't played the later games. So, sorry fans of Klavier or Blackquill, but they're not in this. Anyway, onto Wright's reaction to Edgeworth's shocking announcement.**

**Chapter 2 – Phoenix isn't Jealous**

I stared in disbelief at Edgeworth, wondering if I had heard him right. He stared at me with that cool, calm look he always wore, waiting for me to respond. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I mean, what could I say? Edgeworth was getting engaged?! How did this happen?!

When it was clear I wasn't going to say anything, Apollo and Athena decided to speak up for me. "Uh, wow! That's great Mr. Edgeworth!" Athena said, "Who's the lucky lady? Have we met her?"

"Probably not," Edgeworth replied, "She lives among a… different type of crowd than you would be used to. She is of the upper class."

"Ooh! Fancy!" Apollo whistled.

"Edgeworth, this is insane!" I exclaimed, finally finding my voice, "You can't get married! You've always been against it! And to someone I've never met?! I don't believe you!"

Edgeworth blinked at me in surprise. "Well, I'm sorry if this upsets you, Wright, but sometimes things change," he said calmly, "I met this woman and we… clicked instantly."

_Nice try, Miles! Don't think I didn't notice that hesitation and that small cringe!_ "So, who is she? How long have you known her? How did you meet? Why is this the first time I've heard of her?" I grilled.

Edgeworth met my hard stare with a calm gaze of his own. "Her name is Lilith. Lilith Fletcher. I've known her for just over a week. We met just outside my office after a meeting. And this is the first you've heard of her because this is the first I've seen you all week," he answered all of my questions in that cool tone of his.

"You've known her only a week and you're already engaged!?" I shouted, "Miles, that's insane! You shouldn't rush into these things! You barely know her!"

"Well, you don't know her either, Wright," he shot back, but still monotone, "Nor do you know the circumstances of the engagement. Trust me when I say that what is happening is for the best."

"You can't possibly know that!" I argued desperately. I turned to Apollo and Athena. "Guys, back me up here!"

"Did you say Fletcher?" Apollo asked, totally ignoring my distress. Edgeworth looked at him, slightly confused.

"I did," he replied.

"Her father wouldn't happen to be Dominic Fletcher, would he?" Apollo wondered, folding his arms and raising his brow. If I wasn't so angry I would find it funny how much the gesture reminded me of Edgeworth.

The man let out a heavy sigh. "Yes, she is," he answered, "And I do know about the case you are working on. I am to be the prosecutor at the trial. But I assure you, this has nothing to do with that. The fact that the murder happened at Fletcher Industries is pure coincidence."

I didn't believe that for a second. But I wasn't going to say anything out loud right now. Not without proof.

"So your engagement is the reason why the trial has been moved back a day?" Athena clarified. Edgeworth nodded.

"That's right," he said, "The judge gave us an extra day so Lilith and I could sort out the details of our engagement. With the added benefit of giving the police more time to go over evidence."

_Us as well, _I thought, reflecting on the fact that we hadn't seen any of the evidence yet.

I wanted to bring the topic back around to my anger at his rushing into marriage, but Edgeworth suddenly looked at the watch on his wrist. "Well, as much as I would love to stick around and chat, I must be going," he said.

He strode towards the door but paused when he got to it. "Wright, I was hoping to ask you to be my best man," he told me, "Seeing as you are one of my closest friends. However, your blow up at me has me thinking you'd rather not. Perhaps I should ask Gumshoe. Think about it, though." Then he walked out the door.

I bit my lower lip and looked at the ground. Then I came to a decision. I rushed out the door, forcing Apollo and Athena to follow me.

"Miles, wait!" I called. Edgeworth stopped and turned, staring at me with a slight hope in his eyes. I took a breath. "If you're headed that way, do you think you could give us a ride back to the office? I forgot to bring cab fare."

Edgeworth's face fell and he gave me an annoyed look. "You're hopeless, Wright," he muttered.

-Wright Anything Agency, April 14, 1:35pm-

"Are you all right, boss?" Athena asked me when we got back to the office, "You seemed really upset with Mr. Edgeworth back there."

"Yeah and during the car ride you could cut the tension with a knife," Apollo pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" I muttered, "Didn't any of that seem strange to you guys?"

"Your behavior seemed strange," Athena said. I glared at her.

"Look, something about all of this is seriously wrong," I told them, "The timing of this is too perfect to be coincidental. No matter what Edgeworth says. I mean, think about it. He announces his engagement to the daughter of the owner of the building where our client works and a murder takes place? Uh-uh. I don't buy that."

"Look, we're not saying we don't agree with you Mr. Wright," Apollo said, "I was just saying that you seemed to be getting way more upset over the situation than you normally would. As if you have ulterior reasons for feeling so strongly about it."

I gaped in surprise at him. "Wh-What are you insinuating?" I wondered, "It's ridiculous that he would get engaged to someone he barely knows!"

"And we're not arguing with you about that," Athena assured me, "But you're reaction to it kind of seemed strange."

I narrowed my eyes at them. "What do you mean?" I hissed, "What are you talking about my reaction?"

"Well, we just think it was strange how you exploded at Mr. Edgeworth," Apollo pointed out, "You were really upset with him."

"It was a little over the top, you have to admit," Athena added. I couldn't help but stare in shock at them. I didn't act _that _over the top.

Did I?

"Mr. Wright," Apollo said, "Is there something going on between you and Mr. Edgeworth?" For some reason, I felt a blush rise to my face.

"N-No!" I quickly said, perhaps a bit more quickly and higher pitched than I had meant to. I swallowed and tried again. "Miles and I are just friends. I don't want to see him get hurt, that's all."

"That's another thing," Athena added, "You usually call him Edgeworth, but occasionally you call him Miles. Like you don't even realize it. I know he's your friend and all, but that seems a little odd."

"It's not that odd," I muttered, "If either of you suddenly announced you were getting married to someone you had just met I would be just as outraged."

"Would you?" Apollo challenged.

I glared at him, but unfortunately it made me think. Would I really have an outburst at them like I had with Miles? I would definitely be upset with them and I would lecture them, but the more I thought about it, I would probably just be stern and commanding. Not angry like I had been with Edgeworth.

Thankfully, I was saved from having to answer him by a knock on the office door. The three of us jumped slightly and looked at it.

"Um, come in!" I called.

The door flew open and I was surprised by the two people who burst in. I was rushed by the two people and I shouted in shock.

"NICK!" Maya exclaimed in happiness, throwing her arms around me, "We're back! I missed you!"

"Maya! Pearl! You're back from Kurain Village!" I said, not quite registering that they were here. Pearls was standing behind Maya with a huge smile.

"Guys, er, girls! It's good to see you!" Athena cried gleefully, "What are you doing back in Los Angles?"

"Well, Pearly is on break for two weeks and I thought it would be a good time to come up and visit," Maya explained. She finally released me and smiled at me.

"So, what have you guys been up to?" Pearls asked.

I left Apollo and Athena to explain to them about the case while I sat down at my desk. Maybe those two were right about how I treated Edgeworth. Maybe I shouldn't have exploded at him like I did. As the group moved into the other room to talk more (which I was grateful for,) I picked up the phone. It took a long time before he answered and I was worried he wasn't going to pick up.

"What do you want, Wright?" Miles asked, skipping all formalities. I flinched slightly at how cold his voice sounded. But then again, I guess that was understandable.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier," I told him, "I realized I shouldn't have blown up at you like I did. I'm sorry."

There was a brief pause on the other end. "You're forgiven," he finally said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," I murmured, "It just shocked me, you know? You just met this girl and you're already getting married. I just… I don't want you get hurt."

"I appreciate your concerns, Wright, but I'm an adult who is capable of making my own decisions," he scolded, but his voice had softened, "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

I took a long breath. "I do trust you," I said, "I want to make it up to you. How about we grab lunch tomorrow? Just the two of us?"

There was a another pause as he considered my words. Finally, he spoke. "That sounds… nice," he replied, "I would like that."

Smiling, I confirmed the details with him before hanging up. When I looked up, I nearly fell out of my seat from a heart attack.

"Don't do that!" I yelled at Apollo, Athena, Maya, and Pearl, who were standing in front of my desk and smiling widely at me. I glared at them. "I thought you guys were in the other room!"

"So, Nick, we overheard you making a lunch date with Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya teased. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks.

"I-It's not a date!" I clarified quickly, "I'm just having lunch with him so I can apologize for earlier."

"Are you gonna take him somewhere extra fancy for your date?" Athena asked.

"It's not a date!" I hissed.

"Uh-huh, sure it isn't!" Apollo said in a sing-song taunting voice, "You gonna kiss him afterwards?" I glared at him.

"Apollo, go do your paperwork!" I ordered.

"I don't have any paperwork," he pointed out.

"Then go find some paperwork to do and do it!" I growled. Frowning, he turned and marched out of the room, grumbling to himself.

**I'm gonna end the chapter on that stupid joke. Next chapter we'll get Phoenix and Edgeworth's lunch not-a-date. Also more crime drama and possibly an appearance from Edgeworth's fiancé. In the meantime, please leave a comment!**


	3. The Lunch Not-A-Date

**Is everyone excited to see Wright and Edgeworth's lunch date which is totally not a date? I know I am! Let's get to it, shall we?**

**WARNING: Due to my friends' meddling, this chapter went completely off the rails. So for this chapter alone the tone may be way different than the rest of the story. Also, it will be full of dick innuendos. You're welcome.**

**Chapter 3 – The Lunch Not-A-Date**

-Meat in the Middle, April 15, 12:01pm-

There was a new sandwich shop that had just opened two weeks ago that sounded good and was right down the street from the prosecutor's office, so it wouldn't be out of Edgeworth's way. I thought I had arrived early, but I was surprised to see Miles standing outside the place, staring up at the sign. I smiled and hurried up to him.

"Hey Miles!" I greeted. He glanced over at me. He looked slightly distressed for some reason.

"Wright," he said calmly, "Did you even look at the name of this establishment?"

I gave him a confused look and glanced up at the sign. The name of the restaurant was called Meat in the Middle, but what was wrong with it? "Yeah," I replied, "I thought it was rather clever for a sandwich shop."

Miles stared at me. "Let's go in," he sighed, turning and pushing the door open. Shrugging, I followed after him.

The inside of the building was rather cozy. There was low lighting to create a warm atmosphere with paintings hung up all over the place. I especially liked the picture of a firebird wielding a sword standing on the edge of a cliff.

We found a place to sit away from everyone else near a corner. A happy, smiling waitress came up to us, introduced herself before giving us menus and skipping away. As soon as he looked at the menu, I saw Miles tense up.

"Are you all right, M- um, Edgeworth?" I asked, remembering how Apollo pointed out how I kept referring to his first name.

"You don't see anything wrong with these drink names, Wright?" he wondered, not looking at me. I glanced down.

"Not really. Why?" They seemed all right to me. What was wrong with "Ready to Pop" or "The Jizz?"

Edgeworth sighed and shook his head but didn't answer.

The waitress returned a minute later to take our drink orders. Since "The Jizz" sounded yummy, it was milkshake made with marshmallow cream, I decided to order that. When I said so out loud, the waitress gave me a curious glance and Edgeworth flinched.

"Wright," he hissed at me, his face flushed red, "You're getting the name wrong."

Blinking, I looked at the menu again and realized my mistake. "OH!" I exclaimed, "It's called The _Fizz!_ My bad!"

Miles groaned and the waitress gave me a small smile. Then she turned to my friend. "And for you sir?" she asked.

"I'll just have tea, thank you," he replied.

"Sure! What kind will you have? We have a wide assortment of unique-"

"Just Earl Grey, thanks," Miles cut her off quickly. Shrugging she walked off to get our drink orders put in.

As we looked over the menus, I saw Miles growing more and more distressed by the moment and I wondered what was wrong. I reached over and put a hand on top of his.

"Edgeworth?" I said, "Is there something the matter? Your face is red."

Miles gave my hand a baffled look before looking up at me. "Wright, have you not looked over the menu items? The names are atrocious!" he decided.

"Like which ones?" I wondered.

"I refuse to say them out loud."

Confused, Phoenix looked back at the menu, really scrutinizing it and trying find what was so wrong with it. There was a sausage on a hotdog bun called "The Big Shlong." There was "The Grossewurst" which I didn't know what it was at all. Today's special was also something amazing called "Between Two Buns" which had weenies, sausage, eggplant, mushrooms, and pickles, topped with mayonnaise. I suddenly knew exactly what I wanted!

"Whelp, I know what I'm ordering!" I announced

"Please tell me it's not today's special," Edgeworth muttered.

"You bet!" I replied, "It sounds amazing!" Miles groaned and put his face in his hands. Then he eyed the menu again and hissed.

"Damn restaurant trying to hide their sick humor behind a foreign language," he mumbled to himself. I assumed he was talking about the "Grossewurst." I would ask him what it meant, but I had a feeling he wouldn't tell me.

The waitress returned to take our orders. I ordered "Between Two Buns" with extra mayo which caused Miles to facepalm for some reason. When she asked for my friend's order, instead of saying it out loud, Edgeworth simply pointed to what he wanted on the menu.

After she left, the two of us sat in silence for a minute. Miles was looking at the floor, as if trying hard not to look at any of the decorations or people. I wanted to get him talking, to get him to understand I was truly sorry for yesterday, but I didn't know how.

I decided to just address it head on. "Miles," I said, getting his attention, "I really wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday."

"Yes, you did express that over the phone," Miles replied.

"I just hope you're not rushing into something you'll regret," I told him, "We're still friends, right?"

I saw something flash in Edgeworth's eyes but it was gone in an instant. "Yes, Wright. We're still friends." He took a sip of his tea before glancing back at me. "You know, the offer is still on the table for you to be my best man."

I felt relief flood through me. "Of course, Miles, I would love to," I replied happily.

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Good," he said, "I would hate to have to go up there without my dearest friend by my side. I was afraid I would have to ask Gumshoe or, God forbid, Larry."

"Yeah, if I ever get married Larry is not going to be my best man even if begs me," I laughed, "He never even paid me back after I defended him for my first case."

Surprisingly, Edgeworth let out a little laugh. "Maybe you should sue him for it," he joked, "Get even more money out of him."

"Yeah right! _What_ money?" I asked humorously.

We joked around for a while until our food finally arrived. Apparently Miles had ordered some sort of salad. The waitress was smiling as she walked up to us.

"Here you are!" she announced, "One 'Between Two Buns' with extra mayo and a 'Homosexual Garden Salad.' Enjoy!" Miles flinched as she set our meals down and skipped away.

"She wasn't supposed to say the name out loud," Edgeworth muttered under his breath.

"Are you all right, Miles?" I asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," he hissed, stabbing a fork violently into his salad. Shrugging, I decided to start on my sub.

Miles still seemed on edge as we ate silently, even refusing to look at me and it had me wondering why. Had I done something wrong? Was he still mad at me for yesterday? But he seemed to have forgiven me for that. Maybe it was something else that was bothering him?

When we were almost done eating the owner of the place came out to greet us. "Hello, dear patrons! My name is Mike Ocksmaul!" he introduced, "I am the owner of this establishment. How are you enjoying your meals?"

"Oh, it's great!" I replied enthusiastically. Across from me, Miles made some indistinguishable noise.

"Excellent!" Then Mr. Ocksmaul walked away.

"Wright," Miles suddenly said in a low voice, "I have to go."

"Oh, uh well there are bathrooms right over there," I said, pointing to two doors marked by a rooster and a cat for some reason.

"No, I mean I must be getting back to work," he clarified, still in a low voice. He stood up and took out his wallet. "Thank you for inviting me to lunch. If we do this again, I'm picking the restaurant." He took out a few bills to cover his portion of the bill and put them on the table. He gave me a short good-bye and left.

I watched him go with so much more to say to him left on my tongue.

-Wright Anything Agency, April 15, 1:03pm-

When I got back to the office, I was still a little confused about how lunch went. We were back to being friends, right? But what was with the tense atmosphere we left with?

As I came back into the office, I looked up and saw that Maya and Pearl were here along with my adopted daughter, Trucy. She was showing the two some new tricks. Also, Apollo and Athena didn't appear to be working at all, even though we had a court trial tomorrow. Athena was playing with her phone and Apollo was reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes." Frowning, I loudly cleared my throat.

Athena dropped her phone and nearly fell out of her seat. "B-Boss! You're back!" she exclaimed, righting herself.

"How'd your date go?" Apollo asked, not even sort of looking up from his book.

I felt my face flush. "It wasn't a date!" I argued.

"Ooh! You were on a date, daddy?" Trucy asked, whipping around to face me excitedly, "Who was it with? It was the new lady cop, wasn't it? I've seen the way she flirts with you!"

"I wasn't on a date, Trucy!" I told her, "I was just having lunch with Miles as an apology for a mistake I made yesterday."

"Whoa, Nick!" Maya suddenly spoke up, "When did Mr. Edgeworth go from 'Edgeworth' to 'Miles' with you? Sounds pretty serious if you ask me!"

"Ok! It's not that serious! I call all my friends by their first name!" I countered.

"You didn't like eight years ago," Pearl pointed out.

"Can we just drop this?" I asked, exasperated. I rounded on Apollo and Athena. "You two! You were supposed to be working on the Avery case!"

"Yeah, but we really don't have much to go on right now," Apollo rightly pointed out, still not looking up. I sighed heavily.

"All right then, let's head back to the crime scene and see if we can't find any clues," I said. Apollo put his book down and Athena stood up.

"Oh, can I come along?" Maya asked, "It's been so long since I investigated a crime scene with you, Nick!"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I replied, "Trucy, Pearl, can you stay here and watch the agency for us until we get back?"

"Sure thing, daddy!" Trucy answered happily, "Pearl here can be my new assistant in a new trick I've been trying out where I stick a sword through her head!"

"…Wait, what?"

**Hope the stupid innuendos didn't weigh you down too much this chapter. Also I totally lied about the fiancé being in this chapter. She'll be in the next one. And so will the nefarious Dominic Fletcher. Getting the mystery back on track. Anyway, please leave a comment and have a nice day!**


	4. Whistleblower

**Today we're going to continue the investigation and start a running gag, the second of many in this story. I like running gags.**

**Chapter 4 – Whistleblower **

-Outside Wright Anything Agency, April 15, 1:15pm-

We stepped outside the building where I immediately pulled out my phone. Maya gave me a confused look.

"Who are you calling, Nick?" she wondered.

"Miles," I replied, "I was hoping he would give us a ride to the crime scene."

"Why can't we just call a cab?" Apollo asked. Athena nudged him.

"You know the boss is too cheap to call a taxi!" she joked. I glared at her as I dialed Edgeworth's number. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Wright," he said briskly without greeting, "I don't know if this came across when we parted, but I'm rather busy. What do you want?"

"Um, hey Miles," I greeted with my best friendly voice, "Sorry for calling so soon after seeing you. But you see, we need to get to Fletcher Industries to examine the crime scene and we have no way to get there. Could you give us a ride?"

"Why can't you call a taxi?" he wondered.

"Oh, uh, we would but we're sort of broke-ish," I explained.

There was a long pause of silence and for a moment I thought Miles had hung up. But then he let out a sigh. "I'll be there in a few minutes," he said then hung up.

I turned triumphantly to my employees and Maya. "Got us a ride!" I bragged.

"Good going, you cheapskate!" Maya congratulated me cheerfully. She smiled at me as I glared at her.

I was about to say something to her when I heard Apollo and Athena whispering behind me. "I'm gonna ask him," Apollo giggled under his breath.

"Don't you dare ask him," Athena hissed.

"I'm gonna ask him," Apollo repeated. A moment later I felt a tap on my shoulder and spun around to see Apollo grinning at me.

I did not like the way he was grinning at me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Hey Mr. Wright," he said, barely holding back laughter, while Athena rolled her eyes behind him, "Can you whistle?"

I gave him a confused look and cocked my head slightly. "Uh, no, I can't," I replied, "Why do you ask?"

Apollo looked like he was about to explode in laughter. "No reason," he squeaked out. Behind him, Athena sighed.

With that bit of random confusion out of the way, we waited the rest of the time in silence while Apollo quietly snickered to himself. It didn't take long for Miles to pull up in his bright red sports car. Smiling, Maya was about to walk to the passenger side door, but I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

"Shotgun!" I exclaimed, quickly opening the door and getting in. The other three begrudgingly got in the back.

"Hey Miles," I greeted to the slightly annoyed man beside me, "Thanks for giving us a ride. You're really helping us out here."

"If you say so," Miles muttered.

"Hi Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya greeted from the backseat, "It's nice to see you again!"

"Maya," Edgeworth acknowledged with a small nod, "I didn't know you were back from Kurain Village. That was something Wright failed to mention at lunch." He cast a small sideways glare at me. I gave him a meek smile.

"Oh yeah, Maya is back from Kurain Village," I said.

Miles rolled his eyes at me and turned back to the road. Suddenly noticing his bland choice in music, I reached out a hand to change it, when it was violently smacked away.

"Don't touch my radio, Wright," Miles growled at me, not even looking at me.

"Ow! You could have just said so! You didn't have to hit me so hard!" I whined.

I may have imagined it, but I could've sworn I saw his lip curl up slightly in the tiniest of smirks. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat. That's when I also realized how fast he was going.

"Er, Miles?"

"What?"

"Should you be going this fast?" I wondered, pointing at the speedometer. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Do you want to get to Fletcher Industries or not?" he asked, "Do not doubt me, Wright."

He said that, but I couldn't help gripping the edge of my seat in anxiousness. Looking in the rearview mirror, I could see that my friends were just as tense. Maybe I shouldn't have pointed it out.

Luckily, he got us to our destination in record time and only ran two red lights in the process. After prying Apollo out of the backseat, we all scrambled out of the car. Before he could drive off, though, I turned back into it.

"Thanks for the ride, Miles," I said, "You're a life saver."

"Indeed. Just don't make a habit of it." And then he was driving away.

-Fletcher Industries, April 15, 1:25pm-

When we entered Fletcher Industries the workers were just as busy as ever, but thankfully there were less cops. Which meant it was very easy to go right up to the murderous machine and have a look around. The first thing that struck me was how much blood there was. The crime scene had not been cleaned up at all and even more gruesome than that, I could still see bits of clothes and *shudder* flesh sticking out of the machinery.

"Ugh," I felt ill just looking at it, "If either of you girls would rather try looking for clues elsewhere, Apollo and I will stick around here and investigate."

"Why don't I get that option?" Apollo muttered.

Looking at the girls, Maya looked like she was trying to be strong, but Athena looked like she was going to retch at any moment.

"I think we'll take you up on that," Maya said, "Come on Athena. Let's have a look at the security tapes." She grabbed the other girl's arm and dragged her away.

"All right, Apollo," I said, clapping my hands together, "Let's get to work."

We walked up to the machine with all of its gears and inspected it. I felt Apollo press a little closer to me as we did. I know he was used to seeing blood, a few of his cases had been rather bloody, but none of them had involved dangerous machinery with guts still sticking in them before. I could see why he was anxious. Couldn't blame him, really.

"Let's see… at first glance does anything seem off to you?" I decided to ask him. Maybe quizzing him would take our minds of the bile rising in our throats.

"Well, not at first," he replied, "But it does beg the question of why anyone would kill someone in this way. Why not use a knife or a gun or literally anything else if they had planned to kill?"

"You think it was a spur of the moment thing?" I wondered.

"Possibly," he said with a shrug, "Or maybe the killer thought they could hide their identity better by killing him this way."

"Well, I guess we'd better investigate a little closer to see if we can't prove them false," I mused. I went around to the front of the machine where the opening was. It was kind of hard to see and it smelled really bad. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned on its flashlight feature so I could see better.

I regretted it immediately.

There was even more blood and guts on the inside of the machine than there was on the outside. I recoiled in horror and made a loud noise of disgust.

"What? What's wrong?" I heard Apollo call.

"No, don't look Apollo!" I shouted, waving my hand behind me to block his view, though I doubt I was doing much. Luckily, he seemed to heed my advice and stayed out of the line of sight of all the gore.

Swallowing the bile I could feel rising up, I forced myself to look deeper. Even with my flashlight, it was kind of hard to make anything out considering all the blood. But then I spotted something at the bottom of the machine. Something that definitely should not be there. I tried to reach for it, but it was too far away and I felt myself slipping slightly. I growled slightly in frustration.

"Apollo! I see something at the bottom, but it's too far away!" I explained, "Hold my legs and I'll try to reach for it, then pull me back up, all right?"

"Er, ok. If you say so," Apollo said nervously.

I reached back into the machine and I felt Apollo grab my legs. I stretched my body out, reach for the object. I could feel myself slipping as Apollo desperately tried to keep me from falling. Finally, I grabbed it and called to him to pull me back up. It was painfully slow and I was afraid he was going to slip and we would both fall in. Thankfully, he eventually managed pull me out and I flopped onto the floor.

"Ugh, you're completely covered in blood, Mr. Wright," Apollo muttered, looking down at me. Groaning, I sat up and looked at myself, seeing that I was indeed covered in blood. I gave Apollo a sheepish grin.

"Sorry," I said, removing my jacket, which bared the worst of it, "But on the plus side, look what I found!"

I stood up and held out a slightly bloodied light brown sweater jacket. Apollo inspected it carefully without touching it.

"How did it manage to get in there?" he wondered.

"I have no idea!" I declared proudly, "But it's something, right? I wonder who it belongs to?" I turned it over, hoping to find a name or something written on it.

"Hey! What are you doing with Robin's jacket?" a voice called out.

We both turned and saw that annoying Buddy Guy… guy from yesterday coming towards us. He had taken off his hardhat to scratch his head so I could see how fluffy his hair was. He was giving us a confused look.

"This is Robin Avery's jacket?" I asked a sinking feeling entering my gut like the Titanic.

"Yes sir! He said he lost it right before the police came and took him away!" Guy cocked his head. "Where'd ya find it?"

"Uh, it doesn't really matter," I replied, trying not to glance at the machine, "Robin's our client, so we'll be sure to return it to him."

"Okee dokee!" he exclaimed and skipped away. Maybe it's just me, but a factory worker in overalls should not skip. No matter how fluffy their hair is.

"Come on," I said, nudging Apollo, "Let's go find the girls. Maybe they'll have found something on the security tapes that's less incriminating of our client."

We walked around, asking the workers where the security room was. After getting turned around three times we were pretty sure we were lost. Not only could we not find the security room, we could no longer find the exit either.

"How the hell do we get out of here?" I grumbled, looking around for some sort of exit sign. But all I could see was grey, gears, ladders, walkways, and workers who all looked the same. Who would want to work in a place like this?

"I don't know," Apollo muttered, keeping close to me, "This place creeps me out. It's like all the workers are brainwashed or something. It's so weird."

"I hear ya," I agreed, "And where are Athena and Maya? I hope they didn't get lost as well!"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" an elegant and sweet-sounding voice rang out, "Might you two handsome men be lost? Would you like some help?"

Spinning around, we came face-to-face with one of the most attractive women I had ever seen. She was wearing a black and grey Victorian-style dress with a lacy bow around her middle. She had alabaster skin and large dark eyes like a midnight sky with a head of dark curls that made her head nod like a narcissus in the breeze. She also had nice big honkin' tits.

The woman stepped into our space, practically throwing her breasts in our faces. I felt Apollo press closer to me as she did so.

"My name is Lilith Fletcher," she announced, offering her hand, "I am the daughter of the owner of this establishment."

I tried not to tense up at her words. This was Lilith Fletcher. This was the woman who had somehow seduced Miles into marrying her in such a short time. Looking down at her breasts (which were now about three inches from my chest) I could kind of see why.

I took her hand (I think she wanted me to kiss it, but I shook it instead,) before releasing it. "Um, I'm Phoenix Wright and this is my young associate Apollo Justice," I introduced, "Er, do you know how to get to the security room? We asked several workers, but they just sort of sent us in circles."

Lilith smiled at us. "Those silly men," she tsked, "Too wrapped up in their own work to bother helping anyone out. Even attractive, handsome devils like you two." I felt Apollo press even closer to me. "Well, let me help you out. I know exactly where the security room is. Just follow me and do keep close. Wouldn't want you boys getting lost again."

She winked at us before turning and leading the way back the way we had come. I followed after her and I heard Apollo right behind me.

"Stay close to me, Apollo," I murmured to him, "This place doesn't feel right." I saw him nod and he quickened his pace to keep step with me.

The woman led us through the facility, guiding us expertly, knowing exactly where she was going. Eventually the place started to look vaguely familiar and before we knew it we were back at the crime scene. I was about to protest this when she suddenly led us up a small flight of stairs next to large machine to a door that read "Security Room." Apollo and I gaped at her.

"Are you serious?" I exclaimed, "It was right here the whole time?!"

Lilith giggled. "It was indeed, cutie," she replied, "Well, I'll leave you to it. I hope I see you boys again." She twiddled her fingers at us before taking her leave.

Apollo stared after her and waited until she had left before speaking. "She scares me," he muttered. I smirked at him.

"What's the matter, Apollo? Haven't you ever had a woman hit on you before?" I asked. He turned and glared at me.

"It's not that," he insisted, "I've never seen a woman so… _forward_ before. And she's supposed to be Mr. Edgeworth's fiancé? I don't know how I feel about that."

"Yeah, I have to agree with you there," I said, "I might have to talk to Miles again. But in the meantime, let's check out this security room."

As I turned to open the door, I heard Apollo snicker behind me. "Heh, you said Miles again." I would have glared at him, but I was already opening the door.

**I thought this would be a funny place to end the chapter. I like making Phoenix and Apollo tease each other, they did that a lot when Apollo came along. Well, Phoenix teased Apollo a lot. I finally got Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney and Dual Destinies by the way, and they are great fun. Anyway, please leave a comment!**


	5. Seriously? Just Stop

**What has Maya and Athena found on the tapes? Eh, I don't know yet, I haven't thought of it. Oh, I mean I totally know what they found! Yes, it's totally revealing and I'm not going to get stuck when they view the tapes. **

**Also, a certain shipping gets way more obvious this chapter. Anyway, here you go.**

**Chapter 5 – Seriously? Just Stop**

As soon as the door opened there was a flash of yellow and Athena rushed past me to launch herself at Apollo and trap him in a tight hug. "Where have you two been?" she exclaimed, choking the life out of him, "We came out to check on you and you were gone! Maya and I were so worried!"

"Can't… breathe!" Apollo gasped. Athena ignored him.

"Sorry, Athena, we got a little, um…" I was going to say lost, but that was kind of embarrassing, "distracted," I said instead.

"Well, come on then!" Athena replied, "You have to see what Maya and I discovered!" She grabbed Apollo's wrist and dragged him into the room. With no other choice, I followed after them.

Maya was sitting in front of large wall of monitors, staring at the screens with intense focus. At first I thought they were a live feed, but then I saw that they were replaying footage from the night of the murder.

"Finding anything?" I asked.

"Not yet," Maya muttered, "But I'm still looking."

"Have you looked at the tape that Gumshoe mentioned?" Apollo wondered once he managed to free himself from Athena's arms. Maya shook her head.

"Nah, the police took that footage," she responded, "We've been trying to find anything in any of these other tapes instead."

I was about to ask her a question, when suddenly a door on the opposite side of the room flew open and a portly smiling guy in a guard uniform standing there. We all stared at him as he grinned wildly at us.

"Hello girls and boys!" the man said mechanically in a weird whimsical voice.

Apollo blinked at him slowly. "Holy crap, that's terrifying," he hissed under his breath.

"My name is Wa Tchenout and I am the security guard of this place," the man explained, "Can I help you people with anything?"

"Um, we were just looking through these tapes," I told him, "We were hoping to find something to help our client."

Tchenout continued to smile at us in that weird way. "Well, if it's to help your client I will gladly assist you," he said in that whimsical way.

I gave him a small but uncomfortable smile. "Great," I muttered. I turned to Maya and tried to ignore the security guard, which was rather hard because he was so damn creepy.

"Maya, does the guy in the coat appear in any other videos?" I asked her.

"We're still checking that," Athena answered for her, "We've seen glimpses of him in the corner of screens, but never in full view."

"Hm… interesting," I muttered, "I think we can use that in court tomorrow."

"You think so?" Maya wondered.

"I do. I would tell you guys what I think, but uh…" I eyed the security guard, who had not stopped smiling at us the whole time. Or moved. Or blinked.

"Right," Apollo murmured as Athena pressed against him in slight fear, "We can talk more back at the office."

"Just what I was thinking," I said. We finished going through all of the tapes before concluding there was nothing else on them that could help us. So, we decided to call it quits for the day and head back to the office.

I pulled out my phone and called Miles as soon as we stepped out of the building.

"What part of 'I'm busy' did you not understand, Wright?" he growled as soon as he picked up. Again, he didn't bother with greetings.

"Well you didn't expect us to walk back to the agency, did you Miles?" I asked him, a stupid grin plastered to my face.

I couldn't see him, of course, but I could just imagine the glare on Miles's face and the anger in his eyes. I heard him take a deep breath, probably to calm himself.

"You guys could walk," he said at last, "It'll be good for you. I know you told me once that Miss Cykes has a lot of energy. And honestly, Wright, you could stand to get some exercise."

Was he joking? I honestly couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "I get plenty of exercise traipsing around crime scenes, thank you," I muttered, "Just come pick us up, please Miles?"

There was another sigh. "Wright-"

"Miiiiiiilllllleeeeesssss!" I whined. Another sigh.

"This is the last time I'm doing this, Wright," he warned, "Get some money out of the bank and take a cab next time."

I grinned wildly. "Thanks Miles!" I exclaimed, "You're the best!"

"Whatever," he grumbled before hanging up.

I smiled triumphantly until I heard Apollo cough behind me. I turned and gave him a stern look. "If you say anything about me calling him Miles, I'm docking your pay," I threatened. His eyes widened and he looked away.

A minute passed in silence before Apollo decided to speak anyway. Thankfully, it was not to make fun of me. "Did anyone else notice anything strange about the workers in there?" he asked, "They all seemed to be in some sort of a trance or something."

"Yeah, none of them were all that helpful," I noted, "They kept sending Apollo and me off in random directions until we totally lost."

"That security guard guy scared me," Athena muttered, pressing gently against Apollo, "What was up with his smile?"

We didn't really get to debate it any longer as Miles's red car came screeching up to us. Maya headed towards the front seat, but I grabbed her around the waist, picked her up, and set her aside.

"Shot gun!" I exclaimed as she gave me a disapproving look.

We all got in the car and I gave Miles a winning smile as I slid into the passenger's seat. "Hey Miles," I greeted him.

"Wright," he said shortly before pulling onto the road, "Did you find anything to help your case for tomorrow?"

"I think we did," I replied, "We found some rather… interesting evidence to say the least. We're going to discuss it when we get back to the agency."

Miles nodded but kept his eyes on the road. There was a moment of silence in the car.

"Um, Mr. Wright and I met your fiancé," Apollo spoke up from the back seat, "She was at the factory. She helped us find our way back when we got lost."

"Oh? Did she now?" Miles asked quietly. For some reason he seemed to grip the steering wheel a bit harder.

"Yeah. She seemed rather nice," I told him. _A little too nice, _I thought to myself, if her rather flirty behavior towards myself and Apollo was anything to go by. But I didn't want to start another fight right here in car, so I let it slide for now.

Miles didn't say anything and I wondered why. Then I noticed how fast he was going and saw with a panic that it was even faster than last time. I wanted to say something, but I was sure he would ignore me if I did.

-Wright Anything Agency, April 15, 2:03pm-

With Miles driving like the crazy man he is, we got back to the agency in record time. I leaned back into the car as everyone scrambled out.

"Thanks for the ride, Miles! You're the best!" I told him.

I couldn't tell in the dimness of the car, but I thought I saw him blush. "I mean it, Wright. This was the last time I'm doing this for you," he warned me.

"If you say so," I replied with a shrug. I back out of the car and closed the door then watched as he drove off. I led my employees and Maya into the building.

"All right I think we have some good evidence," I said to my friends, "I think we should carefully go over all of it so when we go to trial tomorrow we can-"

I was cut off when I opened the door to the office and almost whipped across the face by a very angry young woman. A woman whom I hadn't seen in years.

"PHOENIX WRIGHT!" Franziska von Karma shouted at me, wielding her trusty whip, as she glared at me, "Why am I just hearing the news that has just reached my ears?"

I stared in surprise at her. And shock. And confusion. "Um, hi Franziska," I greeted pathetically, "Er, it's been a while. How are you?"

"Stop with your useless pleasantries!" she barked at me, "Why was I not informed of my little brother's engagement?"

"How should I know?" I exclaimed, "Ask your brother! I didn't even know until yesterday!" I flinched when she whipped at me again.

"Pah! You knew for an entire day and you did not think to call me?" she snarled, raising her whip, "Blasphemy!"

"EEK!" I cowered before her.

"Um, Mr. Wright? Who is this woman?" Apollo asked, causing Franziska to lower her weapon. I silently thanked him for saving me.

"Oh, um, Apollo, Athena, this is Franziska von Karma," I introduced, "She's an Interpol prosecutor and also Miles's adopted sister. Franziska, this is Apollo Justice and Athena Cykes, the newest lawyers working under me."

I watched as Franziska looked my two young associates up and down before coiling up her whip and turning to me. "Well, I am mildly impressed, Phoenix Wright," she said, "You've actually managed to turn this into an actual law office. I remember when it was just you and that little girl running around."

"Hey! I'm the same age as you!" Maya protested.

Franziska ignored her and turned back to me. "You are a fool, Phoenix Wright!" she snapped at me, "You do not know how foolishly foolish you foolishly are! You are completely unaware of anything!"

I gave her a confused look. "What are you talking about?" I wondered.

"Bah! You fool!" she scoffed, "If you are too foolish to figure it out on your own, then I will not be the one to point out what should be foolishly and painfully obvious."

I huffed silently and turned away. "What do you want from me, Franziska?" I wondered.

She glared at me before grabbing my tie and dragging me into my office. I gagged as she pulled on my tie, cutting off my air. I didn't get to say anything as she slammed the door behind me. I gasped for breath as she turned around and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Talk, Phoenix Wright!" she hissed, "What do you know about this wedding?"

"Nothing!" I insisted, "I only know who the bride is and that's it!" Franziska's eyes widened as she stared at me.

"You know who the vile woman whom has tempted my brother into marriage?" she exclaimed, "Tell me who it is so that I may destroy them!"

"Uh…" I hesitated to tell her. It's not that I didn't want her to know, but committing violence probably wasn't the best way to solve the issue. But her whip broke me down.

"Her name is Lilith Fletcher," I said, "She's the daughter of Dominic Fletcher who owns Fletcher industries." Franziska nodded then started pacing the room.

"Phoenix Wright," she said calmly, "is there anything about this engagement that strikes you as odd?"

So, she noticed too.

"Of course," I replied, "I mean, he got engaged to someone he barely knows and without telling anyone. There's definitely something strange going on here."

"And you didn't stop him!?" Franziska suddenly snapped at me, "You, Miles Edgeworth's best friend, did nothing to stop him or talk him out of this crazy foolishness?"

"Wait, he told you I'm his best friend?" I asked, blushing slightly. Miles actually told other people we were best friends? I didn't think he actually showed his emotions like that. How sweet of him!

"Focus, Phoenix Wright! I am yelling at you!" she hissed with annoyance.

"Oh, sorry." I muttered. She folded her arms and glared at me.

"Well, Mr. Phoenix Wright? What are you going to do about it?" she wondered. I stumbled backwards at her question.

"Hold on a moment Ms. Von Karma!" I exclaimed, "Why do I have to do anything about it? I already tried to tell him how crazy all this was and all he did was get mad at me! Plus, I'm busy with a case right now. I don't have time to-"

I was cut off when Franziska grabbed my tie and yanked me forward, causing me to gasp as my breath was trapped in my throat. Her piercing gaze burrowed directly into my eyes.

"Listen here, Phoenix Wright," she warned in a low, dangerous voice, "If you do not help me find a way to get my brother out of this wedding then I assure you that you will never be heard from again!"

Gulping with fear, I slowly nodded. "I understand," I muttered.

**I don't know how to end this chapter, so I'm going to end it there. Next time Nick and Franziska are going to discuss their plan of attack and Dominic Fletcher might finally appear. In the meantime, please leave a comment!**


	6. Just Whip It Out

**Now that Franziska is on Phoenix's side things should go smoothly, right? If only. But the plot should start picking up at least! And I'll try to remember to introduce Dominic Fletcher in this chapter because he's important and stuff.**

**Chapter 6 – Just Whip it Out**

Franziska folded her arms and looked at me. "So, Phoenix Wright, how do you suggest we proceed?" she asked.

"Oh! Um, well I really don't know," I confessed, "Like I said, I'm kind of busy with a case right now, so I have to focus on that."

"What case?" she wondered.

"The case against Robin Avery," I explained, "He's been accused of murdering his manager because he wasn't promoted. He worked at, get this, Fletcher Industries."

Franziska's eyes widened in surprise. "Wright, do you realize what this could mean? What the implications could be?" she asked.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, but Miles insisted it has nothing to do with the case," I said, "I don't believe him though. It's way too coincidental."

"Hmm… My little brother is hiding something," she mused, "We must investigate this further." She strode over to the door and I quickly followed her.

The scene that met us when we entered the next room was shocking, to say the least.

Pearl was strapped to a large colorful wheel that I hadn't noticed when we first came in for some reason, and Trucy was standing in front of it, blindfolded, while tossing knives at her. Maya was in a panic and Pearl was screaming.

"YOU SAID THEY WERE GOING TO BE FAKE KNIVES!" she shouted.

"Sorry, Pearl," Trucy said calmly, raising another knife, "A magician never does things in half measures."

"Nick!" Maya screamed at me, "Do something about your daughter!"

"Sorry Maya," I replied, "She's kind of right. She has to use real knives. How is she supposed to know if it works otherwise?"

"I'm just glad it's not me up there for once," I heard Apollo mutter to Athena.

"And I thought I was sadistic," Franziska said in a surprised voice.

With a cry, Maya ran forward and grabbed Trucy's arm, stopping her from throwing another knife. She pulled off her blindfold and looked at the spirit medium.

"What?" she asked, "I wasn't going to hit her!"

"Someone please get me off of this!" Pearl moaned, still spinning on the wheel. Athena and Maya rushed forward, stopping the wheel and unstrapped her. Pearl stumbled as she hopped off and wobbled over to the bathroom. We could hear vomiting sounds coming from it a moment later.

As Pearl continued being sick, Franziska turned to me. I tensed slightly as she did so.

"I am leaving now, Phoenix Wright," she informed me, "Do inform me if anything comes up. We will figure out what is going on here." Then, brandishing her whip, she marched out the door. Maya watched her go.

"Are you hooking up with Miss von Karma now, Nick?" she asked slyly.

"You'd better not be!" Pearl shouted from the bathroom.

"I'm not 'hooking up' with Franziska," I explained with a sigh, "She's just going to help me investigate something, that's all. Nothing's going on."

"Uh-huh," Maya scoffed skeptically. I frowned.

"Fine, believe whatever you want Maya," I sighed. Sometimes there was no arguing with her once her mind was made up. "Anyway, let's talk about the evidence we found at the crime scene."

"Ooh! You guys actually found some evidence?" Trucy exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't sound so surprised," Athena muttered.

We went over to my desk so we could look over the evidence. I set Robin's jacket down on my desk while Athena produced a copy of the security footage. I clapped my hands together.

"All right, let's see what we've got here!" I said eagerly, "Apollo and I found Robin's jacket at the bottom of the machine that killed Morty Fied."

"Oh dear!" Athena gasped, "That can't be good for our case!"

"I don't know," I reasoned, "There's something off about it."

"What do you mean?" Maya asked.

"Look at it," I said, "The argument would probably be that the coat got stuck in there when he pushed his manager into the machine. But take a closer look. It's not mangled or destroyed, in fact it's barely bloody."

"Huh, that is strange," Apollo noted.

"Maybe someone planted it there to make it look like Robin did it," Athena theorized.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, actually," I replied, "It's just a little too convenient, you know? All right, now about those tapes."

"Oh yeah, you had an idea about those, didn't you boss?" Athena asked.

"Yes, I do," I said, rather proud of myself. I was rarely so prepared with clues. "Well see, I was thinking about how the person never fully appears on screen. That seems more like someone familiar with all the cameras would be able to do than a random employee."

"Are you suggesting the security guard did it?" Maya wondered, "He was pretty creepy."

"Maybe," I answered, "Or maybe even someone higher up than him."

Everyone gave me a solemn look as Pearl wobbled into the room. "What are we talking about?" she asked, looking a lot better but obviously still a little green.

"Daddy thinks Mr. Fletcher killed a guy," Trucy said bluntly.

"Oh, cool," Pearly mumbled.

"Hey, I didn't say that!" I objected, "I just said someone high up in the chain of command. There could be people under Fletcher who know the security cameras well that could have done it. We just need to find out who all those people are and if they have a motive."

"I can go look up the names of all the Fletcher Industry employees right now if you want," Apollo offered, "Try and get some info on them."

"Yes! Thank you, Apollo, go do that!" I ordered. Apollo nodded and left my office to go to his own desk. I turned to Athena.

"I want you to continue to go over the security tapes and see if you can't find anything that might be a clue," I told her, "Anything that seems off."

"Okey dokey, boss!" she exclaimed, saluting me before also leaving.

"No one says 'okey dokey,' Athena!" I called after her.

"Is there anything you would like Pearly and I to do, Nick?" Maya asked, batting her eyelashes at me. I thought for a moment. Maybe this would be the perfect opportunity…

"Could you two look into Dominic Fletcher and his daughter Lilith Fletcher for me?" I requested, "See what their history is like, what kind of people they are, and things like that?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Nick!" Pearl replied, "Come on, Mystic Maya! We have work to do!" They eagerly ran out of the room.

I sighed with relief and was about to sit down at my desk to get the case ready for tomorrow when there was a loud cough that startled me right back up. I totally forgot about Trucy. Stupid father.

"What can I do, daddy?" she asked me. I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. I didn't really have anything left for her to do.

"Um, how about you… help me prepare the case for tomorrow?" I suggested. Her face lit up and she jumped to my side.

"Ok!" she exclaimed.

The entire office was busy working until well after closing.

-Public Courthouse, April 16, 9:40am-

I was always felt somewhat apprehensive before any trial, but this one was even worse. It's not like we were unprepared and I decided to let both Apollo and Athena be my co-counsel, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that we were against Miles Edgeworth and I knew he was hiding something from me. This trial was going to be tough.

We entered the lobby where many people were milling about. Maya, Pearl, and Trucy broke away so they could go watch the trial from the gallery. I saw Miles on the other side of the room with Lilith and another man I didn't recognize and my heart started to pound for some reason.

"That's Dominic Fletcher," Apollo murmured to me when he saw where I was looking, "He's a lot scarier looking in person than in pictures."

"Boy, I'll say," I muttered.

Mr. Fletcher was well over six feet tall and towered over Miles like a vulture waiting for its prey to die. He wore a black business suit and had square shoulders and thick arms and legs. He wore a frown on his face that wrinkled it so much it made him appear older than he actually was. His slicked back black and grey hair did nothing to make him look more charming. He was by every definition of the word intimidating.

"I wonder what he's doing here?" Athena mused, "I mean, I get why Lilith would be here, but why him?"

"Maybe he's watching the trial to see what happens to his employee?" Apollo theorized, "Though I doubt it. He doesn't look like a man that cares much for others. Maybe he's a witness or just here with his daughter."

"That seems likely," I agreed, "Should we go over and greet them?"

All three of us cautiously approached them. Miles was the first to spot us and turned his grey eyes towards us. His companions did the same.

"Wright," he greeted shortly.

"Hey, Miles!" I said in my best friendly voice. Beside Miles, Lilith smiled.

"Ooh! It's the two handsome men from yesterday!" she cooed, "Fancy seeing you here! I was hoping I would get to see you both again!"

From my peripherals, I could see Apollo move to hide behind Athena.

Dominic turned to me and seemed to loom over me. "So," he said in an extremely deep voice, probably the deepest I had ever heard in my life, "You're the defense attorney in today's trial, eh?" I gulped.

"Yup, that's me," I replied nervously. I tried not to shiver under his gaze, but I don't think I was successful.

"I see," he said. James Earl Jones had nothing on this guy's voice. "Well, I can't say for certain whether or not Mr. Avery is innocent. I just hope neither of you do anything that will embarrass my company." He eyed Miles as he said this. "Fletcher Industries is very powerful and influential you know. I would hate for anything to happen to either of you."

I suddenly got the feeling that he was threatening Miles and me and it made me hate the guy. Who did he think he is, anyway? It made me wonder if he had something to do with all of this, but then I told myself I was just working myself up.

"Well, I know we'll both certainly try our best in there," I promised with a slight shudder.

Mr. Fletcher stared me down for a moment more before turning to Lilith. "Come daughter," he said, "Let us go to the gallery." Lilith un-attached herself from Miles' arm and hurried after her father.

I finally let out the breath I didn't know I had been holding in. "Man, he was scary, huh, Miles?" I asked my friend.

"Indeed," he murmured, "He is not my favorite person, but unfortunately I will have to put up with him."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "I am so sorry," I said sincerely. He looked at my hand, then at me.

"Wright," he said, "While you were conversing with Mr. Fletcher, is there a reason why your associate asked me if I could whistle?"

Confused, I glanced over his shoulder to see Apollo snickering slightly and Athena rolling her eyes. I looked back at Miles. "Um, I'm really not sure," I replied honestly, "He asked me if I could whistle, too. By the way…" I paused and gave him a sheepish look. "Can you whistle?"

Miles looked unamused. "I'll see you in court, Wright," he said, not answering the question, "You'd better be well prepared." Then he turned on his heels and stalked off. I watched him go before turning to Apollo and Athena.

"Apollo!" I shouted, "What the hell are you doing asking people if they can whistle?"

**I think that's a funny line to end it on. Next chapter we start the trial at last! We'll see how that goes since I've never written a trial scene before. Fingers crossed! Anyway, please leave a comment!**


	7. The Trial Begins

**The trial is today! Get excited as I attempt to make this comprehensible and not at all obvious! And also try to stretch it into a full chapter. Wish me luck!**

**Chapter 7 – The Trial Begins**

-Courtroom No. 2, April 16, 10:00am-

"The trial against Robin Avery is now in session!" the judge announced, banging his gavel loudly to silence the gallery, "Is the prosecution ready?"

"Of course, your honor," Miles replied, bowing deeply in that sexy- in that smug way he does.

"And the defense?"

I swallowed thickly. I was a nervous wreck on the inside, but I kept calm on the outside. I hoped. "The defense is ready, your honor," I told him.

The judge nodded. "Does the prosecution have an opening statement?" he wondered.

"Yes, your honor," Miles answered, "The crime was committed late on April 13th at Fletcher Industries. According to security footage, a fight broke out and Morty Fied was pushed into the machinery and was crushed to death. The prosecution intends to show the culprit could be none other than Robin Avery."

I listened to his opening statement with apprehension. Was there anything wrong with it? Besides the fact that I didn't think Robin did it, not really.

"Very well," the judge said, banging his gavel, "You may present your first witness."

"Thank you, your honor. The prosecution would like to call the detective in charge of the investigation, Dick Gumshoe to the stand."

I watched as the bumbling detective lumbered up to the stand. He waved enthusiastically at Miles and me and while I shyly waved back, Miles simply raised an eyebrow. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.

"Detective, if you would please describe the events that took place the day of the murder?" Miles requested. Gumshoe saluted.

"Absolutely, sir!" he exclaimed, "At 1:30 am on April 13th in the main room of Fletcher Industries, Morty Fied was caught on camera arguing with someone in front of one the large machines. The argument suddenly grew heated and the perp pushed Mr. Fied into the machine, where he quite brutally and graphically crushed to death. Based on evidence we have collected; the killer could be none other than Robin Avery!"

I saw Apollo and Athena trying to restrain themselves from objecting to Gumshoe's accusations. Good for them. They're good kids. I, however, had a lot less restraint than them.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted, pointing at the detective. He started a bit at my shout. "Don't go throwing around accusations yet, detective! Not without showing your evidence!"

Gumshoe cowered slightly, muttering "sorry" while the judge shook his head. "Save it for the cross-examination, Mr. Wright," he said, "Which you may do so now."

I nodded then faced Gumshoe. "All right, Dick," I hissed, "You said Morty Fied was caught on camera arguing with someone. But was the other person seen?"

Gumshoe shied away and scratched the back of his head. "Well, uh, no he wasn't," he replied in a sort of mumble, "The perp's back was to the camera the whole time. And he was wearing a coat to hide himself."

"Doesn't that strike you as odd?" I questioned, "If this was the defendant, why would he try so hard to hide his identity? And it seemed like he had intricate knowledge of where the cameras were. Not something the average employee would know."

The detective thought for a moment before it struck him. "Hey! You're right pal!" he exclaimed.

"OBJECTION!" Miles shouted from across the room, "Do you have anything than mere conjecture, Mr. Wright? Anything other than just 'odd?'"

Damn Miles and his objections. I swallowed loudly. "Well, not at this time," I replied slowly, "But you have to admit it strange."

"I don't have to admit anything without evidence, Mr. Wright," Miles pointed out, "And if you have none, then I suggest we move on to the next witness."

"Very well," the judge said, banging his gavel, "Call in your next witness, please."

"The prosecution calls Buddy Guy to the stand," Miles announced.

While Guy was escorted to the stand, I couldn't help but feel bothered by Miles' tone. He sounded so hostile for some reason. I didn't like it. Was he mad at me for something? I thought he had forgiven me?

Buddy Guy looked as stupidly happy as ever. He waved at everyone as if he was completely unaware that this was a murder trial. I tried not to roll my eyes at him and I saw Athena turn her head away in embarrassment.

"Witness state your name and occupation," Miles ordered.

"Hi everyone!" Buddy exclaimed, ignoring Miles' statement. As usual, this made my friend irritated.

"Witness! Name and occupation!" he barked. Buddy continued to ignore him.

"Look! Look everyone, I'm a witness!" he laughed, "Never thought I'd be here!"

"Name!" Miles shouted, slamming the bench, "Occupation!"

"Poor Mr. Edgeworth," Athena sighed, "He just has such a hard time with witnesses, doesn't he?" I tsked slightly.

"You have no idea," I muttered.

"Hello! My name is Buddy Guy!" the man finally stated, "And I'm the supervisor for Fletcher Industries. Oh wait, now that Morty is dead, does that mean I'm the manager now?"

"Let's not get ahead ourselves," Miles warned him, "I want you to testify about the defendant's character for us."

"Robin has a character? I didn't know that!" Buddy exclaimed, "Is he making a cartoon?"

I face palmed and I could tell Miles was resisting the urge to throw something. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I meant testify about what he's like," he clarified.

"Oh! Ok!" Buddy giggled. This was going to be long and painful, I could tell. "Well, Robin is a good guy, but he has an unfortunately short temper. And when Morty didn't give him the promotion Robin really blew up at him. It was kind of scary, actually."

"Do you think he's capable of something like murder?" the judge asked him.

"Well, maybe not intentionally, I think it was probably an accide-" Buddy suddenly stopped and looked into the gallery. Confused, I tried to see what he was looking at, but I couldn't see. Buddy suddenly cleared his throat. "I mean he is definitely capable of murder. He loses his temper so often and is always threatening people. I could easily see him doing this."

Wait, why did he suddenly change his testimony like that? I looked over at Apollo and Athena and it was clear they caught it as well.

"Hmm… well Mr. Wright let's begin your cross examination," the judge ordered, banging his gavel. I nodded and turned to Buddy.

"Mr. Guy, what made you suddenly change your mind about Mr. Avery?" I asked, "It sounded like you were going to say it was an accident, but then you turn around and say it wasn't? Which is it?"

Buddy suddenly started to look visibly distressed. "Uh, I meant to say he is capable of murder," he replied nervously, "Um, ignore the thing about it not being intentional."

"He's lying, Mr. Wright," Apollo muttered, rubbing his wrist, "It's really obvious, but still."

"Remember what he said about being manager now? Try pressing him about that," Athena suggested.

"Good idea," I replied. We looked back at Buddy. "May I ask you a question, Mr. Guy?"

"Sure! Ask away!" Buddy said, brightening, "I sure love being helpful!"

"With Mr. Fied gone, who gets his position?"

Buddy put a hand to his chin and thought for a few seconds, looking quite comedic as he did so. "Well gosh, when I think about it I guess that would be me!" he exclaimed, "As long as Mr. Fletcher allows it!"

"Don't you think you think that might be motivation enough for you to kill Morty Fied?" I accused.

The entire courtroom burst into rabble and outrage at my accusation. Buddy was desperately trying to defend himself, but he couldn't be heard over the noise.

"OBJECTION!" Miles' voice rang out, silencing the room before the judge's gavel could, "Do you have any basis for this claim? Or is this another one of your bluffs? I'll have you know that far more evidence points to Mr. Avery than anyone else."

"What kind of evidence?" I asked a bit more harshly than I meant to. I was getting kind of sick of his attitude, to be honest. "So far the prosecution has been all talk and no bite!"

Miles recoiled slightly at my words. I decided to go on. "You keep claiming to have plenty of evidence, so let's see it!" I snapped.

"Yes, Mr. Edgeworth! Let's see some evidence!" the judge agreed.

Miles folded his arms and scowled. "Fine," he huffed, "One thing we did find, though we unfortunately we could not retrieve was the defendant's jacket laying in the machinery that killed the victim."

I smirked at that. Bingo. "You mean _this _jacket?" I asked, pulling out the evidence in question. The audience gasped and Miles made some indistinguishable noise of anger.

"_Where did you get that?"_ he hissed at me.

"Apollo and I got it from the bottom of the machine," I replied, "Mr. Guy confirmed that it is indeed Robin's jacket. And don't you think there's anything strange about this jacket?"

The judge leaned forward taking a good hard look at it. "Oh! I know! The brand! The brand is of a cheap company!" he exclaimed. I gave him a confused look.

"Um, no, your honor, that's not it," I replied, "Supposedly this jacket was ripped off of Mr. Avery when he allegedly pushed Mr. Fied into the machinery. But while Mr. Fied was torn and mangled to bits, this jacket is perfectly fine with barely any blood on it! And if you look closely at the security footage you'll see that the color of the jacket is off!"

"What are you saying exactly?" the judge wondered.

"Someone planted this jacket to frame the defendant!" I replied, "And that person is the real murderer!"

The courtroom again erupted into noise and the judge banged his gavel to get everyone to quiet down. "ORDER! ORDER!" he shouted, "In light of today's arguments I suggest we suspend today's trial as I cannot possibly render a verdict. I suggest both the defense and the prosecution come up with some hard evidence by tomorrow!"

"Yes, your honor," Miles and I both said together.

"Court is adjourned!"

-Courtroom Hallway, April 16, 11: 01am-

When Apollo, Athena, and I came out of the courtroom, Maya and Pearl were waiting for us. And so were Dominic Fletcher and Lilith Fletcher.

"Ah, hello Mr. Lawyer," Mr. Fletcher greeted, "Forgive me, but I've completely forgotten your name. You did well in there today. I really thought the prosecution had you for a while." His mouth seemed to tighten when he said this.

Before I could reply, I received a hard slap on my arm from Lilith and I winced. "How dare you treat my Miley-Wiley like that!" she growled at me, "Humiliating him in public! I don't care how handsome you are!"

"Ow! I'm sorry! That's just my job!" I whined. I could hear Apollo and Athena snickering behind me. "There's still tomorrow where he could easily beat me!"

"Nothing could be further from my mind, Wright," the melodious sound of my friend's voice came drifting to me from behind. I turned around and sure enough, there he was. "All I desire is finding the truth. You know this."

"Oh! Hey Miles!" I greeted a bit sheepishly, "Tough day today, huh?"

"Indeed," he answered, "I didn't expect you to pull Mr. Avery's jacket out like that. I actually had plenty of evidence to show, but the judge cut the trial short."

"Really? Can we see some of it?" Athena asked eagerly. Miles gave her a look that said, "nice try."

I grabbed my friend's arm and gently pulled him away from the others. "Anyway, Miles, what was up with your attitude today during the trial?" I asked. He gave me a confused look.

"What do you mean?" he wondered, "I was not behaving any differently than I normally do."

"Are you sure?" I questioned skeptically, "Because you seemed a bit angrier than you normally do. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I'm fine, Wright," he insisted, "Look, I'm very busy, so I must be going."

"Miles, wait!" I exclaimed. He turned back to me. "Can we get a ride from you? Since we're here and all." He let out a long sigh.

**I think that's a good place to end the chapter. Hopefully this was entertaining enough and was good enough of a first day trial. Like I said, this was my first try. Please leave a comment letting me know what you think and I'll try to have the next chapter up sooner rather than later.**


	8. Gathering More Clues

**Well, I completed the first trial, but I don't know what to do next. I just know Franziska is going to be in this chapter. Yee! I'm also probably going to bring back more of those running gags. Because my humor is stupid.**

**BTW, I have a Twitter if you want to look me up and send art my way. Or just bother me a lot. Look me up at White Thunder ThunderingWhite. Look for the picture of the horse.**

**Chapter 8 – Gathering More Clues**

-Wright Anything Agency, April 16, 12:10pm-

"All right guys, that was a good first day in court but we can't let up for a moment," I said to my crew, "We have to get back to Fletcher Industries and look for more clues. Miles said he had a lot more evidence to present but didn't get to. We have to be prepared for anything."

"So why didn't we just go straight to Fletcher Industries?" Athena wondered.

"That is a good question!" I replied, "Anyway, let's get over there and find some more evidence and maybe interview some employees! Does anyone have cab fare?"

As my employees stared at me blankly, there was a sudden and loud whip crack. I jumped and flinched out of reflex.

"Phoenix Wright!" Franziska barked, scaring me, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What!?" I exclaimed, whipping around to face her, "We were just discussing how to get back to Fletcher Industries. For our case!"

She cut me off with a whip crack. "That is not what I was referring to!" she growled, "You are wasting time! How do you expect to get my little brother out of this marriage if you're wasting time with this silly case?"

"Excuse me, this happens to be important," I pointed out, "It's not a silly case, and I'm not wasting TIME!" Another crack of the whip stopped my arrogance. She glared at me.

"Uh, boss?" Athena said nervously, "What's she talking about? Are you trying to stop Mr. Edgeworth's marriage?"

Trying my best not to look guilty, I rubbed the back of my neck and smiled. "Uh, no!" I replied, "Anyway, how about a compromise, Franziska? We really need to do some investigating. If you drive us to the crime scene and help us out a little, then I'll help you out for the rest of the day."

Franziska folded her arms and thought about it, tapping her arm. Finally, she sighed. "Fine! But you'd better keep your promise or you will get the whipping of a lifetime!" She stretched out her whip in emphasis. I gulped.

"Got it," I replied.

-Fletcher Industries, April 16, 12:30pm-

Somehow, Franziska drove even more insanely than her brother. This time it was just Apollo, Athena, and myself which was good, because I don't think her tiny car would have fit anyone else. I clung to my seat in fear as the prosecutor sped down 30mph roads at 70mph like a mad woman. Luckily, she didn't get pulled over (somehow) and we made it to Fletcher Industries in record time.

With shaky legs, we all got out of the car and wobbled into the factory. I should've expected Miles to be there, but somehow I was still surprised to see him. He was deep in conversation with Gumshoe and as we approached I could hear more what they were saying.

"…Just don't know why he would ask me something so inane," Miles sighed, shaking his head, "What does me whistling have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, sir," Gumshoe replied. He paused and tapped his fingers together. "So, um, _can _you whistle?"

Miles glared at him but didn't reply. He turned and looked at me just as we walked up. "Wright," he greeted, "I was expecting you, but I didn't realize you'd be so late."

"What? How am I late?" I wondered, "We got here as fast as we could!" He held up a dismissive hand.

"Never-the-less, I've finished here," he informed me, "I'll see you in court in two days."

"They're delaying it again?" Apollo asked.

"Yes," Miles replied with barely a look at him, "Due to my engagement and also the complexity of the case, they saw it necessary."

"In that case Miles," I walked up to him, getting right in his face, "…Would you like to have lunch tomorrow? If you're free of course."

He blinked several times at me. Then he sighed. "Yes, Wright, we can have lunch tomorrow," he answered. Then he turned and walked off.

I smiled to myself for a moment before I was suddenly struck from behind and I yelped with pain. "PHOENIX WRIGHT!" Franziska yelled, "Who gave you permission to flirt with my little brother!?"

"Fli-? I was just asking him to lunch!" I pointed out.

"Whatever!" she huffed, "Just hurry up with your silly investigation!"

I turned around so she couldn't see me roll my eyes or hear me sigh. I decided instead to go over to the death machine. It was largely unchanged from yesterday. I didn't think we were going to get any more clues from this, but I could be wrong.

"See anything, guys?" I asked Apollo and Athena.

"Not yet, boss!" Athena called from the other side of the machine.

"What about you, Apollo?" There was no reply from him. "Apollo?" Confused, I looked around for the young attorney.

I spotted him a bit ways off talking to Gumshoe. Curious, I walked over to see what they were talking about. Apollo was saying something that I couldn't hear as I approached and when I got closer, Gumshoe gasped.

"No way, pal! Is that really true?" he exclaimed. Apollo nodded.

"It's true," he assured the detective.

"Wow… wait a minute! _I _can't whistle!" Gumshoe's eyes widened with realization. "Oh my gosh! That means _I'm_…! But I always thought I was…!"

"Uh, hey guys," I interrupted, "Apollo, why aren't you over here with us investigating?"

Apollo blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, sorry Mr. Wright," he apologized, "I just wanted to talk to the detective here. Shoot the breeze and all that."

"Yeah, well, Miles said he had a lot more evidence he didn't get to show at the trial today, so we really have to bunker down and find more clues!" I scolded. Then I noticed him snickering slightly. "What?"

"You called him 'Miles' again," he sneered.

I sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes. "Get over there and help Athena search the gross, blood covered machinery!" I ordered. Apollo pulled a face.

"Do I have to?" he wondered, "You and I already pulled that jacket out of the gears! Isn't that enough for me to do?"

"Nope," I replied simply, shoving him towards Athena and the machine. I metaphorically tipped my hat to Gumshoe before following him.

"Phoenix Wright!" Franziska snapped at me as I walked back over, "How much longer is this going to take?"

"We just got here!" I pointed out, "And you could help us, you know. Speed up the investigation. I want at least one really strong clue to help our client."

Franziska huffed and started grumbling to herself but looked the machine over anyway. With a small sigh I followed after her. We looked over the gears and machines, trying to find anything that could be useful. I sighed.

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place," I decided, "There just doesn't seem to be anything here. Besides blood."

"Have they tried lifting any prints off this thing?" Franziska asked, "Maybe someone other than the victim touched it and you can get yourself a suspect."

I blinked at her in surprise then turned to Gumshoe. "Hey detective!" I called to him, "Have you guys tested this thing for prints?"

Shyly, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well um, no… EEP!" He yelped in surprise as Franziska snapped her whip at him.

"Scruffy!" Franziska growled, "Have you gone soft and lazy! You should know by now to check EVERYTHING for prints, you idiot! This is why your pay is so low!"

"Yikes! Sorry, sir!" Gumshoe apologized. He turned to one of the other officers and started giving him orders.

"Mr. Wright! Over here!" Athena suddenly from the other side of the gears, "I think I found something!"

Apollo, Franziska, and I quickly rushed over to where she was. We found her crouching down, holding some sort of black leather material. It seemed to have been ripped off something, maybe a coat or pants.

"What is that?" Apollo wondered.

"I don't know," Athena confessed, holding it loosely in her gloved hands, "It looks like leather or something. I wonder what it came from?"

"I'm not sure, but it's definitely a clue," I assured her, "Good work, Athena." I choked slightly as Miss von Karma grabbed my collar and pulled me away.

"All right, you found a clue, now you are helping me with my thing," she ordered. I sighed.

"Fine." I turned to Apollo and Athena. "You two stay here and continue investigating. Maybe try interviewing some of the other workers. I have to go help Franziska here with something because she won't stop nagging me."

"Have fun," Apollo called as I yelped in pain from the prosecutor's whip.

Franziska practically dragged me out of the building to her car. I got in the front seat as she revved up the engine.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked.

"Fletcher's mansion," she answered, "That is where Miles told me they are having the wedding. Not that he had any choice in the matter. If you ask me, I don't think Miles had any say in any part of this wedding. I think it was all arranged from the start."

"Normally I don't like to make assumptions without any proof, but I think you're right," I agreed, "If he really liked this woman and was as enamored by her as he claims he is you would think he would have told one of us about her before this."

"And it definitely doesn't make sense because he- oh wait," Franziska paused and bit her lip. I have to say it's kind of cute when she does that. "Um, never mind. Forget I said anything."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Well now you've made me curious," I said in a mischievous voice. She cast a side glare at me.

"Don't you dare, Phoenix Wright," she warned, "I will whip you into unconsciousness."

I held up my hands in defeat. "Ok! Ok! I'll drop it!"

"Good." She turned her eyes back to the road and we fell silent for a few moments.

"Have you ever thought about getting married?" I decided to ask her. She shrugged.

"Eh, I haven't really thought about it much," she answered honestly, "I'm a busy woman, you know. Plus, I would have to take it up with Adrian."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were dating her. How's that going?"

A rare smile came to her face. "It's going well," she replied, "We get along quite nicely. I enjoy her company and we support each other."

"That's good. I'm glad it's working out for you two. She was in a bad place for a while. I think you've helped make her stronger."

"Thank you, Phoenix Wright."

Despite the fact that she refused to stop referring to me by my full name, it was kind of nice to have just a normal conversation with Franziska. I didn't know she was capable of such a thing.

"What about you? Have you ever thought about marriage?" she questioned.

"Maybe. If I found the right person," I confessed, "I, uh, haven't really had the best of luck when it coms to dating. And I'm not just talking about Dahlia."

I thought it was kind of rude that she snickered at me considering I hadn't given her any details. I waited for her to stop before I continued.

"I want to find someone whom I can trust because if they entered into a relationship with me they'd have to love me and Trucy, you know?" I explained, "Like, they could be the best person in the world, completely ideal. But if they don't like kids then that's a deal breaker."

Franziska nodded. "Perfectly understandable," she agreed, "I noticed you said 'they.' You are not gender specific?"

"Eh, I realized I wasn't straight when I hit puberty," I told her, "I like girls and guys equally. I just happened to date a girl first. And… I did date a few guys. But again, it didn't really work out well."

Our conversation came to halt as we pulled up to a large, glorious mansion. I stared up at in awe. This was Fletcher Manor.

**Holy shit! I haven't updated this since January! Jeez! Sorry about that! Time tends to get away from me. I was going to add more, but I'll save that for next chapter so I can get this one out to you. Please leave a comment and maybe drop by my random twitter!**


	9. Fletcher Mansion

**Time for Phoenix and Franzy to start searching for some answers, yo! What will they find in Dominic Fletcher's huge mansion? Will it lead them any closer to THE TRUTH?**

**Chapter 9 – Fletcher Mansion**

-Fletcher Manor, April 16, 1:32pm-

I tensed slightly as Franziska drove right past the open gate towards the huge house. I looked at her, slightly bewildered.

"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, "You can't just drive up to a mansion like that all willie-nillie!" Franziska gave me a sideways glance.

"Yes, I can," she pointed out, "I am the sister of the groom and you are the best man. The wedding is taking place here. I see no reason why anyone would question our presence."

"If you say so," I mumbled. I still felt uneasy, but I decided it was probably best not to argue with her. She was rather stubborn.

She parked and we got out to start trotting up to the mansion. Franziska already carried herself like she belonged here so I tried my best to do the same. We walked up to the door and I raised my fist to knock, but Franziska just entered as if she owned the place.

"Um, so what are we looking for exactly?" I wondered. She looked at me.

"Anything that points to the Fletchers being corrupt or any wrongdoing," she replied, "That way we can convince Miles not to go through with this silly wedding."

"Isn't this kind of illegal?" I asked. Franziska scoffed.

"We're not working on a court case right now," she pointed out, even though that didn't moot the point, "Besides, no one has to know. As long as no one catches us."

I sighed and looked around. We were standing in a huge foyer with two staircases leading to the second floor. A giant chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting the place in a warm glow. But overall the place was kind of dark. Just beyond the staircases was a hallway that lead who-knows-where and it was draped in shadows. It made me nervous and I gripped Franziska's arm in fear.

"Let go of me, fool!" she growled, wrenching her arm away, "It is only a hallway! Geez!"

I swallowed my nerves. "So, um, where shall we start?" I asked her.

"Upstairs of course!" she said, rolling her eyes as if it were super obvious, "Everyone knows that if you have secrets to hide you hide them upstairs!"

Now I _knew _we would be trespassing but I already knew the prosecutor would dismiss my concerns. She was kind of… uncaring like that. After all, how many times had she obtained illegal evidence when she faced me?

Oh well. I had to remind myself this was for Miles.

Franziska grabbed my arm and started dragging me up the stairs. The second floor was just as fancy as the foyer. We were immediately met with hallways and hallways and hallways. So many hallways! And doors! How did anyone find anything in this mansion?

"Where do we start?" I wondered.

"Anywhere!" Franziska insisted, "Just pick a door and go through it! Be a man, Phoenix Wright!"

_Just pick a door and go through it._ That would probably be the epitaph on my tombstone. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I went to the first door and tried it. Low and behold, it was locked. My chest deflated slightly.

"Well, um, let's try the second door," I muttered.

Luckily, the second door was unlocked and we went in. I felt around the wall for a light switch and we found ourselves standing in the largest bathroom I had ever seen. There was a bathtub, a whirlpool bath, _and _a walk in shower! Rich bastards!

I was about to immediately leave, but Franziska shouldered past me into the room. I stared at her in surprise.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at her.

"What we came here to do," she answered, "Looking for dirty secrets on the Fletchers. The bathroom can hide things too, you know, Phoenix Wright."

Sighing slightly, I carefully closed the door so no one would know we were in here. Franziska was at the sink, rifling through everything, not even sort of being careful to make sure it looked like no one had been here.

"Be careful!" I warned her, "We don't want them to know anyone was here!"

"Oh relax, Phoenix Wright," she scoffed, "I'll put it all back."

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything. I didn't want to incur her wrath. Instead, I decided to check around the rest of the bathroom while she raided the cabinets. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for, though. What _would_ convince Miles that marrying this woman was a bad idea? Maybe if there were signs that she was cheating on him? That she didn't love him? But how?

I stopped at the walk in shower and inspected it. It was large enough for at least three or four people to use it. Did Lilith or Dominic have multiple lovers in here? I shuddered at the thought and decided to not dwell on that. Maybe it was just big because they liked to show off their wealth. With a sigh, I closed the shower door.

"Find anything, Phoenix Wright?" Franziska's voice sounded behind me, startling me out of my mind. I jumped and turned around, clutching my chest.

"Don't do that!" I panted, "And no! I didn't! What about you?"

She shook her head. "No," she replied, sounding disappointed, "I was hoping to find some sort of medication in their cabinet to indicate that they were crazy or something, but there was nothing."

I gave her a look. "Franziska, that's kind of… I don't know, wrong of you," I said, "I know we want to get Miles out of this marriage, but trying to use someone's mental disorder against them is just horrible."

For once, she actually looked like my words affected her. "I… hadn't thought about that," she muttered, "I guess there are a few things that are out of bounds."

I nodded. "I guess we should search a different room, then," I said.

"I guess," she agreed. We left the bathroom (I just remembered to turn off the lights before we closed the door) and went across the hall. The next three doors we tried were locked, but finally we found one that wasn't.

This room was someone's bedroom. And it was as large as my entire living room. It made me really resent the rich. I could tell this place belonged to Lilith from the flower accents and the smell of perfume. Unless scary Dominic was in touch with his feminine side. There was a large black-and-purple canopy bed sitting against the middle of one wall while a matching vanity sat across from it. I don't know if "Victorian" was the way to describe the room, but it definitely had an old money feel to it.

Franziska clapped her hands together in delight as soon as we entered. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" she hissed with glee, "I bet there are plenty of things we can find here!"

I kind of doubted it. I still thought the best course of action was to try to convince Miles he shouldn't marry someone he only knew for two weeks, but I would have to change Franziska's mind. And there was no doing that.

"You start going through her dresser over there while I look in her nightstand," she commanded.

"Um, how about you look through her dresser?" I requested, not really wanting to go poking around the woman's clothes. Franziska glared at me.

"Just do it, Phoenix Wright!" she snapped, "The faster we do this the faster we can get out of here!" I swallowed but obeyed.

With a shudder, I opened the top drawer and carefully started lifting up the clothes that were carefully folded there. I made sure to disturb as little as possible, so Lilith wouldn't know we had been there, which, if the racket coming from behind me was anything to go by, I couldn't say the same for Franziska.

"Shh!" I shushed at her, "We're supposed to be quiet and not leave any evidence that we were here, remember?"

"You worry too much, Phoenix Wright," she commented, "You need to relax. I said I would put it all back and I will."

"Somehow I don't believe you," I muttered under my breath.

I opened the next drawer and nearly gagged. This was the drawer with all of Lilith's… woman items. I didn't want to search through it, but I knew Franziska would scold me if I didn't. And by scold, I mean whip.

Taking a deep breath, I began to rifle around, quickly searching for anything that might be incriminating. _Do it for Miles. Do it for Miles. Do it for Miles._ I kept thinking over and over and over in my head.

Suddenly, my hand brushed a piece of paper and I yanked it out. It was carefully folded so I opened it and read it. As I did, my heart sunk into my stomach.

"Franziska," I said slowly, "I think I found what we're looking for."

She came over and I read the letter out loud. "Miles Edgeworth," it said, "We know your dirty secret. If you don't want it exposed and you want to keep him safe, then you'd better do exactly as we tell you."

"Is this… a blackmail letter?" Franziska asked. I nodded grimly.

"It appears so," I replied.

"But what-?"

Before she could say anything else, we heard someone coming down the hall towards the room. I quickly shoved the letter in my pocket just as the door opened and Lilith came in. She was dressed in a sexy dress that showed off way too much cleavage and was rather shocked to see us in her bedroom.

"My, what do we have here?" she wondered, "A handsome hunk of a man and his dominatrix pimp? Sweetie, you don't have to try that hard to get my attention."

I had trouble thinking for a moment so I was glad Franziska was there.

"I am not a dominatrix nor a pimp!" she growled, "I am Franziska von Karma, Miles Edgeworth's sister! Dummkoff!"

"Hmph, could've fooled me," Lilith dismissed with a wave of her hand. I saw Franziska tense and slowly move her hand towards her whip.

"Um, sorry we entered your bedroom," I said quickly, trying to save the situation, "We kind of got lost, heh."

Lilith turned to me, a smirk coming to her face. "Oh? I understand. I keep telling daddy that this place is way too big but he never listens to me." She giggled lightly. "Well then, let me help you find your way out."

She gestured flirtatiously with the tip of her fingers and led the way out to the hallway. With no choice, we had to follow her. Even though the stairs going to the first floor were right there, she took us in an entirely different direction from it. What was she up to?

We were led down a long corridor and then down some stairs and emerged in the backyard. Lilith giggled.

"Oh dear, it seems I took a wrong turn at some point," she said, "See what I mean about the place being too big? But now you get to see where Miley-Wiley and I are going to have our wedding! Won't it be delightful?"

Beside me, Franziska looked like she was going to be ill from something. "Miley-Wiley?" she repeated.

"Yeah, just ignore it," I muttered to her, then I turned to Lilith, "Um, yes, it will be lovely. But we really need to get going now."

"Oh right. Well the front gate is just around the side of the house there," Lilith informed us, "It's really that simple."

Franziska muttered something then grabbed my arm and dragged me away. We couldn't get away from that mansion fast enough.

**Sorry for taking so long to update this. I get wrapped up in my other works and forget about this and then a month passes and I haven't updated this. But Phoenix and Franziska found something important, so that's good! Now what are they going to do with it? Please leave a comment and feel free to follow or contact me on twitter ThunderingWhite.**


End file.
